Random DC MK oneshots
by MewShiny
Summary: A One-shot collection, for whatever random Detective Conan or Magic Kaito one-shots I wind up writing.
1. Hattori Heiji's mysterious case

**This is just a random one-shot that came about because of a conversation I was having with someone else on the site (username: Tiffy44)... I wound up actually writing it out because I got bored... I'm sure I could have added suspects and made it into a story with a few chapters but it wound up just being a short one-shot...  
**

**Oh right... um... I don't own Detective Conan it belongs to Ayoma Gosho-sensei, if I did own it stuff like this would probably wind up happening in the real story.  
**

* * *

**Hattori Heiji's mysterious case: the murdered murderer**

Kudo gotten back his original body and now we were working on a case together. We'd already identified the culprit but when we made our deduction the culprit ran and Kudo chased after him leaving me to finish the deduction alone -which seemed a bit out of character considering that he's always saying that I'm the hot-blooded one, but I figure he just wanted some action after being stuck as a kid for so long.

Kudo hadn't come back before I finished explaining the rest of the deduction. I'll admit, I was worried. I assumed the worst, maybe the cure for that drug Apotoxin 4869 hadn't been permanent like the mad scientist girl predicted and he either died or turned back into Conan, maybe the killer caught him off guard and attacked him (impossible as catching Kudo off guard is these days). Naturally to drive off my completely realistic paranoia I went to check on him.

Best case scenario: Kudo used that watch of his and is just having trouble with bringing the culprit back to where we were.  
Worst case scenario: I'll find Kudo dead or a child... or maybe not there at all. The culprit will probably have gotten away or be asleep.

At least, that's what I'd thought. What I found, however, was completely beyond the range of my predictions.

Kudo was crouching next to the culprit who was sprawled on the ground in a really uncomfortable looking position. Upon further inspection there was a large red mark on his face that made it obvious that he'd been hit really hard with something. At first Kudo didn't seem to notice me but just as I was about to speak he stood up abruptly.

"No good... he's dead," Kudo murmured absently, still not seeming to realize that I was there.

"Eh? What happened?" I asked, unable to take the creepishly quiet atmosphere, "Kudo?"

"Oh... you were here Hattori?" Kudo said, as he finally took notice of my presence, adding, "That's convenient, you can investigate this for me."

He had me confused, I wasn't really sure what he was talking about, I tried asking, "Hmm? Are ya not goin' ta investigate it yerself?"

"Hattori. This is obviously a murder. If all the people that would have a grudge against this person were with you while you delivered the deduction then..." he paused, " That makes me the prime suspect. I have no alibi, there are no witnesses, and I have more than enough knowledge that would be required to commit such a crime."

Well, when you put it that way, he's definitely suspicious... but if he were the criminal he'd be pretty stupid to openly point out just how suspicious he is, unless it's a psychological tactic to make me think he's innocent...

What the heck am I thinking? Of course Kudo is innocent! There's no way someone as justice-driven as him could ever commit a crime then try to hide it, even if he ever did commit a crime he'd probably just confess right away.

Although if he did try to hide it... there's probably not a detective in the world that would be able to uncover it...

I couldn't suppress a shiver as that thought passed through my mind, "Yer innocent right?"

I'm an idiot for asking that as if the fact that I'm his best friend guarantees that he'll answer that kind of question honestly.

"I'm not sure."

Eh? What's that? Kudo doesn't know something? This I've got to hear.

"Wha'dya mean by that?"

"I chased him in my usual way, when I caught up he was already like this."

Crap, even Kudo isn't really sure what happened... no his tone... it sounds like he actually has a pretty good idea of what happened but he's not going to tell me because telling me what he thinks happened would be like tampering with the evidence, plus he was alone so he could change the story anyway he wants. Darn it, after that one time with the guy with plastic surgery to look like Kudo I never thought I'd have to try to prove Kudo innocent again.

"Alright, ya kin go ta where everyone else is, I'll investigate this fer ya," I said, hoping my tone sounded understanding and confident, but with how worked up I was getting I couldn't be sure how I sounded, "I'll definitely prove ya innocent."

As he walked away I could barely hear him muttering under his breath, "... and if I'm guilty?"

I ignored him -as is best to do when your best friend asks you really stupid questions- and began my investigation.

I first took a look at the victim that had until just recently been a culprit. The cause of death should be blunt force trauma, something collided with the victim's face and caused a fatal concussion... death was probably immediate. The question is how would someone pull this off without Kudo noticing -the guy's been paranoid ever since he put his identity out in the open and took down that evil organization.

The crime scene was a dark ally, no windows looked in on it so there was no possibility of finding any witnesses, unless Kudo suddenly decides to be more talkative about the whole ordeal. There was a garbage bin, beside which there sat a pile of used sports equipment: a broken tennis racquet, a deflated soccer ball, some bent golf clubs... nothing capable of doing enough damage to be the murder weapon. There was nothing else noteworthy in the ally.

With Kudo running behind the culp- er victim the murderer shouldn't have had time to hide the weapon anywhere and avoid being seen, so it's probably still on their person... unless...

No, I've got to stop thinking that Kudo could actually be guilty, there's no way he would ever murder someone... but what if it was an accident?

For whatever reason I began muttering to myself, if only to hear just how crazy this sounded aloud, "Ugh! Stupid brain! Kudo ain't de culprit! Stop thinking about him dat way!"

Still... it all seems kinda suspicious. Kudo's withholding information about a case and identifies himself as the main suspect but doesn't stick around to see what's going on... Uragh! I'm pretty sure I'm missing some important piece of information! What could it be? Darn it, it's probably one of those weird details that always stick out to Kudo like they're the most obvious thing in the world... why is it he's never able to help out when I need him...

Forget I ever thought that, Okay? I don't need Kudo's help on cases. Ever. Not even that one time when I'd first met him as Conan and he saw through a mistake in my deduction even though he had a cold and was in serious pain because of his poison... I would have realized I was wrong before the police left even if he hadn't barged in there...

Wait a minute...! Didn't Kudo say he chased the er culp- victim in _his usual way_?

Crap. Kudo really is the culprit. He even hid it in a way so that I would be able to figure it out as a test of me as a detective.

When he was chasing the culprit he used the anywhere ball inflating belt and his kick power enhancing shoes (why the professor made a pair that would fit him while he's Kudo is beyond me), the proof is the deflated soccer ball -it's the same kind that come out of the belt he probably put it over there so it would look normal with the other broken looking sporting supplies.

As himself he's strong enough that he would have been able to kick the ball incredibly hard without the aid of the shoes... he probably only used the shoes out of habit because he'd needed them as Conan and he still wasn't completely used to being Kudo again.

And with that the case is solved.

* * *

I jolted upright in bed. It was just a dream... no matter how real it seemed it was nothing more than a dream.

I looked down at Kudo sleeping next to me... he's still Conan. There's nothing to worry about. It's not like something like that would ever happen anyway... it won't right?

This isn't going to be like that one time when I dreamed about Kudo getting stabbed and then he did but he was protected by my omamori, is it? Kudo's not actually going to murder someone with a soccer ball... is he?

I doubt it. Kudo's smart enough to realize that he won't need those shoes when he gets his real body back... but if he does get a pair I'll just have to hide them, there's no way I'm going to let my best bud accidentally murder someone...

While I was having my somewhat panicked internal dialogue Kudo started shifting around and eventually woke up, "Oi, Hattori... there something wrong?"

"Eh? Oh nothing... nothing," I replied, I'm definitely not telling him I just had a dream where he accidentally murdered a murderer then hid the case to see if I could solve it. Besides, if I told him about it he'd understand what happened when his shoes go missing...

My stomach growled.

"See? Nothin's wrong, jus' a bit hungry s'all."


	2. Kaitou Kid's Truth

**Well what do you know, it became a one-shot collection after all.  
**

**This one-shot is kinda based on a dream I had last night... I'm not really sure why I was dreaming this kind of sad romantic weirdness... but it turned out kinda nice...**

* * *

**Kaitou Kid's Truth: The Moment When The Two Met  
**

Nakamori Aoko was looking at Kaitou Kid in the moonlight, really looking at him. Sure, she'd seem pictures of him many times before but to actually see him in person was a different experience altogether... he seemed so familiar.

"Who are you?" She couldn't keep herself from asking even though she knew he'd never answer... at least she never expected him to answer.

However the thief did answer, his voice was just as familiar to her as his presence and yet she couldn't quite place either of them, "I could be anyone you want me to be, Ojou-chan."

The fact that she couldn't understand why he was so familiar is what made her angry at him, but her tone led him to believe it was his haughty attitude that had caused it, "That's not what I meant, Kid."

The way she said 'Kid' so bitingly had hurt him, the word had stung him. He knew why it was she couldn't stand him, he even hated himself for constantly having to hurt her, for taking her father away from her, and more than anything else for always lying and deceiving her. He wished so much that he could end the charade -in vain.

"I'm sorry, Ojou-chan, but I'm afraid you're better off not knowing the answer to that," His poker face hid his true emotions well, making him appear calm and collected when all that existed inside him was the opposite, anguish.

Aoko couldn't take it, she had to know who he was, there was something about the thief that reminded her of... she pushed the thought aside not wanting to dwell on impossibilities. Still there was a part of her that saw her childhood friend behind the thief's trademark monocle and hat, she didn't like it, every other part of her rejected the thief... but that one part wanted to help him.

"Please..." She said, her eyes on the verge of tears she would have normally thought _he_ would be the last person she'd show, "I have to know... so just... please."

He sighed, he hadn't realized he'd been hurting her this much. No- maybe he had realized it and just didn't want to admit it to himself... strike that, he'd definitely realized it, but pretending he hadn't was always easier than accepting that she was taking on the pain he always kept hidden behind his poker face. He couldn't keep pretending now, he wasn't capable of it.

"No... I can't... it's dangero-" He started, but he abruptly stopped and changed the entire flow of what he was saying, "-Will you promise me... you won't tell anyone who I am... no... just promise that nothing will change between... us."

His voice was shaky, he was no longer the fearless thief, no longer the bad guy, no longer Kaitou Kid. Aoko noticed the difference but still had yet to actually recognize that when he cast aside the facade of the magician under the moonlight he became her childhood friend -her best friend Kuroba Kaito.

"I promise."

She thought the thief was just trying to protect his own identity, she didn't bother reading deeper into his words... as strange as they seemed. She took the promise at it's face value not understanding at all what it really meant, and Kaito knew that she wouldn't, he knew her well enough to understand that she wouldn't realize that even this was meant to protect her from the shadow world he'd become involved in.

Still it's a wonder she was able to keep herself from shaking, she hadn't in a million dreams expected him to go along with her request, yet here it was actually happening. The Kaitou Kid was going to reveal his identity to her, sure, she had her suspicions -the very misguided suspicions that had brought her to her breakdown in the first place- but she never expected him to go along with her.

"I'll hold you to it," He said, slipping out of his heist voice and using a sad yet cheerful tone that could belong to none other than Kuroba Kaito as he added, "Ahouko."

"Kai... Kaito?"

He turned so he wouldn't be meeting her eyes and opened his mouth to respond but before he had the chance she rushed up to him, causing his hat and monocle to fall off as she hugged him tightly from behind. He flinched at hearing the monocle's glass crack when it hit the floor, before relaxing, melting into the hug.

"Yeah, it's me..." He didn't bother denying it, what would be the point of revealing his identity only to deny it when everything's over.

Aoko didn't know if she should be sad or angry. There was a part of her that still wanted to help him, knowing he must have become a their for a reason; but there was another part that wanted to turn him in, Kaitou Kid is Kaitou Kid who he is makes no difference, stealing is wrong.

She let go of him, backing away, "How... Why... Kaito... tell me..."

He knew what she meant. The full story would explain everything, but he was going to have to give her the short version.

"Eight years ago dad was killed by people that wanted a certain gem, back then he was already acting as Kaitou Kid-I'm still not really sure about why- but in order to find his killers I took up his cape and hat. When I found them I discovered what they were looking for -a gem that would grant immortality- and I vowed to find and destroy it before they got the chance to use it," He explained, trying his best to make his tone sound casual, but he'd never told this story before and it was making him emotional just thinking about it, "Ever since I've been stealing gems and protecting Kaitou Kid's reputation, I still haven't found the gem I'm looking for, but I'll retire once I do."

Aoko listened carefully until he finished, frozen in shock. How could it be true? In her mind there was no way Kaito could have been through all that and still been his usual self at school, no one could learn that their father was murdered then become a thief to catch the killers and still smile and pull pranks at school. It wasn't natural, she knew he was probably hurting on the inside more than she could ever imagine.

If anything the story at least confirmed he was being honest, no one would make up such a story as a lie. Kid... Kaito was a practical (if not a bit impractical) joker, not a cold-hearted criminal. Even if he stole he returned it, if he lied it was always just the line up for a fun prank... he wouldn't lie about something like this.

"Kaito... oh God! Kaito! Why... why didn't you tell anyone?" She was stumbling over her words, "We... we could have helped..."

He wasn't sure what to say to that, so he waited, just for a moment.

"Kaito, I want to help you."

He didn't want her to, if she got involved she could be killed. At least that's what he was thinking but his mouth and brain seemed to have ceased all communication.

"It'll be dangerous," he suggested.

"I don't mind."

"It'll be difficult."

"That's why I'll help."

"You'll become a criminal."

"If we return what we steal it's really borrowing," She said with a determined twinkle in her eyes.

"You'd be going against your father."

This time she hesitated, "I'm fine with that..."

"Are you sure?" He asked, running out of reasons why she shouldn't be.

"Absolutely," no more hesitation.

For a moment he was speechless. What's the proper response to accepting someone's becoming a criminal to help you spite your father's killers? There probably isn't such a thing.

He sighed, "Then maybe it's time for Phantom Lady to come out of retirement..."


	3. The Detective And The Thief

**This was originally a dream (so if anything doesn't make sense blame the pie I ate last night) but it got crazy near the end so I just cut it off when it stopped being comprehensible (I kid you not there was some weird stuff in the dream ending, fire breathing turtles and what-not) and tried my best to make it coherent  
**

**I hope you enjoy it even if it is a bit ridiculous, please review.  
**

* * *

**The detective and the thief: the discovery of a hidden truth  
**

"Tantei-kun... No, Conan... No, Shinichi..." Said the person on the other end of the phone, "I need your help."

Shinichi instantly regretted picking up the phone. It was obvious who was on the other end but regardless -if only to deny reality- he asked anyway, "Er... who are you?"

"Kudo Shinichi, be serious. I really need your help here," the other person sounded desperate and annoyed as they replied.

Shinichi sighed, he'd heard this voice taunting him many times since he'd been turned into a child, it was so similar to his own voice from when he was a teenager that he couldn't stand to hear it from someone that could be considered his opposite. Yes, He knew the owner of the voice well enough that asking had only been a waste of time. It would be even more useless to ask how this person managed to get his cell phone number.

"What could you possibly need my help for, Kid," Shinichi replied as he gritted his teeth in annoyance. That's not to say that he wasn't somewhat worried that the thief may have gotten himself into a bit of trouble, in fact his worry increased nearly tenfold when the white-clad phantom on the other line seemed to be hesitant to tell Shinichi what it was he needed help with.

"You've noticed haven't you..." The thief started, "That I'm looking for a certain gem... right?"

"Yes, I have," the detective confirmed. It was true, he'd realized that anytime Kaitou Kid stole a gem he would hold it up to the moon and often he would wind up saying 'this isn't the gem I'm looking for', or something along those lines. Though he still wasn't sure what the thief was looking for or expecting to happen, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't curious.

Shinichi didn't have much time to think before Kid continued, "The gem I'm looking for is known as Pandora. It's a gem said to shed tears of immortality when the volley comet passes..."

"You're searching for immortality?" Shinichi interrupted. He was surprised, it was one of the last things he would have expected the playful thief to be interested in; if anything he would have suspected that the thief was already immortal before he would up suspecting he was searching for a way to become immortal.

"No, I want to destroy Pandora," The detective's counterpart explained his tone growing more and more annoyed, "there are other people after it, those people killed my father so I want to destroy it before those people can get their hands on it."

_Sounds reasonable enough, _Shinichi thought as he listened, and when the gentleman thief finally finished he asked, "So what is it you're asking me to do?"

The thief sighed, "As I said, I've already checked almost every gem I can find but it seems like none of them are it, I'm starting to worry that I might never find it on my own..."

Shinichi interrupted again, "I don't see how any of this is my problem."

"I just want you to help me find Pandora, I'm not asking you to steal or fight against the people that are after Pandora with me. In fact after I destroy it I'll even let you turn me in if you want."

Perhaps it was the thief's sincere tone that made Shinichi want to help, maybe it was because he understood the feeling of fighting against an evil organization alone, or maybe it was just because he didn't want someone with such a similar face and voice to be struggling on his own. If you asked Shinichi he wouldn't be able to tell you exactly why it was he wanted to help, only that he did.

The pint-sized detective sighed as he gave in, "I'll do what I can."

If nothing else the thief's excited voice coming through the phone made Shinichi feel as though he was doing the right thing, "Great! I knew I could count on you Tantei-kun! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You won't regret this, I promise! Oh, thank you so much!"

...

One months has passed since then.

This time it was Shinichi that called Kid, "Listen, I've looked everywhere I can think of for information, and everything is leading to the conclusion that the original Kaitou Kid -your father- found Pandora and he either destroyed it or hid it well enough that it'll likely never be found."

Kid listened carefully but he'd already heard this much before, but at that time he asked Shinichi to check again to make sure- and now that appeared to be the case. The thief replied after giving a bit of thought, "but if there's any possibility that it hasn't bee destroyed then I want to find it so I can destroy it myself."

Shinichi had already predicted that he would respond like that, the thief's simpleminded determination made his fairly easy to read, so naturally he was already prepared to respond, "I have found some information that may be of interest."

"Ah-re? Then why didn't you say so in the first place?"

The detective rolled his eyes -of course over the phone the thief had no way of knowing this- he had predicted that response too. As he wished that the thief could be as predictable during heists as he was over the phone Shinichi replied, giving the information rather than answering the question, "On the night that your father died eight years ago in a stage accident... the volley comet passed over Japan..."

"You're not trying to say that Dad didn't actually die and that he became immortal instead are you?" Kid interrupted sounding somewhat annoyed, "Because that definitely didn't happen, if he was alive then he definitely would have come back to see me and Mom!"

Shinichi tried to smile but quickly gave up because he knew the thief couldn't see him over the phone anyway, he sighed and spoke in a sad tone, "Some of the intel I managed to collect about Pandora says that if someone drinks the tears of immortality then they'll 'return to their youth'. If that's true then..."

For a moment neither of them spoke. Kid knew exactly what Shinichi was implying may have happened, even if it was a stretch it didn't seem impossible, and Kid didn't like the sound of it.

"So you're saying he got younger?" The thief asked, thinking it would be better to let the detective explain the rest -it would sound much more rational that way.

"Right, he drank the tears of immortality and as a side effect he became younger. The shock of de-aging must have caused him to create false memories in order to deny reality," Shinichi explained in a very detective-y tone, "And he returned to his wife as a son."

The phone fell out of Kid's hand and to the floor as the usually calm and collected thief put his hands to his ears as though the motion would make things make sense. Just listening to Shinichi's theory had made images flash through his mind -images of things he didn't remember and things he never should have seen, things that would have been impossible for him to have seen.

"I'm sorry..." Shinichi muttered after hearing the sound of Kid's phone clattering on the floor. He was about to hang up and give the thief some time to think things over when he heard the sound of the phone being picked up off the floor and the faint breathing of the thief on the other end.

All of a sudden the thief broke out laughing, it was several minutes before he'd calmed down enough to talk, "You're right... about everything... Dad was... I am..."

The thief continued his mental breakdown for about a minute before Shinichi interrupted, "In that case, I believe I know what happened to Pandora."

This caught Kid's attention.

"The poison that made me shrink was modeled after the tears of immortality that are shed by Pandora, so it's only reasonable to assume that the gem fell into the hands of the organization that poisoned me..." Shinichi trailed off, "The scientist that developed the poison betrayed the organization and is now one of my allies, when I tried asking her about all of this she reached into her pocket and pulled out a large crystal and asked me 'is this the gem you're referring you?'."

Kid's eyes widened, "No way... you have it then?"

"Yeah... unless this isn't actually it..."

The two sat in silence for a while, they both knew that they'd found the real thing, they didn't ever have to steal to get it. In fact Kid had been wasting his time all along, he should have asked for Shinichi's help earlier.

"But what will happen to you..." Kid asked hesitantly.

"The scientist I mentioned before said that I'd probably age normally until I returned to my original age and that I might not age past that..." Shinichi replied.

Kid let out a quiet snicker, "Then I guess I'll be seeing you around, Tantei-kun."


	4. Emotions

**The previous one-shot became a story in case you didn't know, it's 'Immortal Issues', even so I don't wanna take down the one-shot of it cause people commented on it over here and it seems like a waste of the views it got as a one-shot.  
**

**Finally a new one-shot... I've got some other ideas for one-shots written down but it always just seems like it'd take a while to write the stories out so I wind up just working on my other stories instead, which is probably for the better cause not too many people read these one shots anyway. I'll try to write another one sometime soon-ish, cause I got an idea I really wanna try out.  
**

**I'm not entirely sure which dark corner of my mind this one came from... it was originally going to be a lot longer and stranger but I just kinda scrapped some of those parts it's turned out a reasonable length for a one-shot anyway. Just ignore any bits that don't make sense, I probably should've done a bit of research for something like this but I didn't...  
**

**It's kinda cheesy and lame but please tell me what you think anyway. Review for the sake of my happiness! PLEEEAAASE!  
**

* * *

**Emotions: That which slips through the cracks  
**

Haibara had come up with a new prototype antidote for APOTOXIN4869, the formula she used was quite a bit different then the one's she'd made previously -something about a new idea and chemicals in the body, I didn't actually listen to her explanation past the part about it probably being permanent if it worked- she asked me to meet her after school to test it. The very idea that I could possibly be returning to my real body was all that filled my mind as I sat through school that day.

When the time finally came I went into the bathroom and took the pill after changing into an outfit that was far too big for my current form but would be just the right size for myself as a teen. However much to my disappointment nothing happened.

I waited for a while longer, wondering if maybe the effect was a bit delayed but after more than an hour I began to get bored and felt a little bit silly for sitting around in a bathroom wearing such large clothing. So with a deject sigh I changed back into my 'Conan' clothing and left the bathroom, promptly informing Haibara shortly thereafter that it had quite obviously not worked she responded that she had been sure it would work but said very little else on the matter.

Feeling disappointed I returned 'home' where Ran was expecting me as it was nearly dinner time -I'm not entirely sure why I hadn't made up any pretext for 'Conan' disappearing before I'd gone to test a possibly permanent antidote, but it's a lucky coincidence that I hadn't.

I tried to hide my foul mood from Ran as I ate, thinking that if she'd noticed she'd have probably asked questions that I wouldn't have been able to answer. Even so she seemed kind of concerned for me, I wonder why it is she always seems to me able to tell when I'm just pretending to be happy and hiding some kind of darker emotion...

All the same she didn't try to confront me about it, I think she knew that doing so would have only led to me giving her some kind of vague answer or lie so she wouldn't worry... which probably worried her more but there wasn't any better option for me to turn to, the truth was certainly out of the question.

"Conan-kun, are you getting sick again?" She'd asked suddenly not long after she'd cleaned up after dinner, "You're beginning to look a bit pale..."

She crouched down next to me and put the backside of her had to my forehead, it felt like ice but I was more focused on her face only inches (probably less) from mine.

"Oh dear! You're burning up!" She said, and the moment she'd said it I realized she was right, her hand wasn't cold I was just hot, like fire. She picked me up and carried me the short distance to the room which her father and I shared.

How could I have gotten so hot without even noticing, was I really becoming sick? Was it maybe... the antidote? Sure I always felt like I was burning when I changed back but there were always other symptoms first, to warn me that I was going to change before it happened... does this new antidote not do that? Skip the unbearable pain, and go straight to a bone melting fever? If that's the case then I can't just change in front of Ran, she'll discover the truth... but if I already feel like this then how much longer will I have before I change, I'm in no condition to just run away...

I was beginning to feel that now familiar melting heat, confirming that this was -as I suspected- no ordinary cold. As if by instinct I knew that I didn't have but maybe a minute left before I became a teen again... definitely not enough time to get away from Ran when she was so worried... what could I do?

There was nothing. Nothing that I could do to change what was about to happen.

She hadn't even put me on the bed yet when I felt myself beginning to grow, it was much less painful than it had been in the past though it was still not unlike being run over by a tank or garbage truck, something like that anyway. How it felt to me hardly matters though, the point is that by the time that I'd finished growing I'd somehow wound up in a position that to any onlooker would have appeared that I was pinning Ran down, and we were alone... in a bedroom.

I watched with comprehension as her face shifted fist to shock, then to recognition, then embarrassment. She blushed, and I did as well as I realized that all the clothing I'd been wearing would have ripped as I went through my drug induced growth spurt, leaving me completely naked.

"I can explain," I stated quickly getting off of her and moving as fast as I could manage to her father's dresser where I rummaged a bit to procure a pair of clean seeming underwear which I then put on with a sigh. I'd solved my first problem, but what was I going to do about Ran? I didn't want to have to tell her the truth until everything was really over, but there was no way I was getting out of this with just 'yeah I'm Conan, just pretend this didn't happen, sorry' either.

She didn't reply, the awkward tension in the room only rose as I continued to go through her father's clothing until I was no longer partially naked, in hindsight I'm simply glad that she hadn't screamed, in that situation I wouldn't have been surprising at all if she had.

In the silence seconds passed as minutes. Minutes passed as hours. Until finally she spoke up.

"So... you... you're really..."

Yes, I'm actually Shinichi and I have been the entire time. I felt like saying, but there wasn't any point, that much she could already see. So instead I answered, "Sorry for not telling you sooner..."

She didn't seem to know what to think... and I guess if I were in her place I wouldn't know what to think either. Was she hurt that I'd never told her? Or had she truly always known as I've thought she might have, and in that case I suppose she might still be hurt that I hadn't ever told her the truth? Was she curious as to what could have happened to cause this? At the least she was probably still a bit embarrassed that she saw me naked only a moment ago, and so was I.

"H-how...? How did... _this_ happen?" She asked, sounding rather hesitant, "What's happened to you?"

"Even if we know your dad's not listening..." I replied, nearly hating myself for not telling her everything just then, "This isn't the time or the place to be having this conversation."

"Then... should we go somewhere else?" She must've understood that I was involved in something pretty dangerous and didn't want to involve anyone that I didn't have to, or maybe she thought I might've thought there could be unwanted listeners here (which there very well could be).

"Yeah... we should go to the pro-" I coughed, apparently I was at least a little bit sick after all, I tried to continue after, "the professor's house."

"Alright," she replied as she obligingly began to head to the room's door.

"Wait."

It would be perfectly fine for her to leave, but as for me 'Kudo Shinichi hadn't come in, it would make no sense for someone who hadn't entered the house to be leaving it. On the off-chance that this house was being watched then it would become clear that not only was Kudo Shinichi alive and relatively well and that he'd been hiding out at the Mouri detective agency, which was actually true but it would be very bad if anybody knew that. Even if just her dad wound up seeing me even he was a good enough detective to know that I hadn't actually entered the house, he might even realize that Edogawa Conan wasn't there and put two and two together. That would also be very bad. I told her as much.

Her eyebrows furrowed just a bit as if to ask 'then what are we going to do'. I thought about it for a moment and was able to come up with a suitable plan.

Ran told her father that she was taking Conan over to Agasa-hakase's house and she would then leave through the front door, her father probably wouldn't even notice the child's absence because he was far more focused on Yoko Okino's most recent televised achievement, meanwhile I would be sneaking out the window of my and Kogoro's room. While it didn't seem to be the easiest route considering that I was beginning to feel a tiny bit dizzy, it at least satisfied my paranoia and I hoped it would satisfy Haibara's as well.

When I suggested this to Ran she seemed a bit surprised that I thought that the situation was serious enough to warrant that sort of plan but she did as I had asked anyway. Soon enough we were both at the professor's house and I began to explain what had happened since that day at tropical land (making sure to downplay some of the more dangerous bits so she'd worry less) as Haibara started doing various tests as to the effectiveness of the new antidote taking note of things like how long it'd taken to take effect and how much of what chemicals was present in my blood.

It had taken me about an hour and a half to tell her everything worth telling and she had sat through it all without saying a word. I couldn't read her expression at all, and I was beginning to feel a bit nervous.

Would she be freaked out by what I'd been hiding? Would she be disgusted and refuse to let 'Conan' stay with her anymore? Would she hate me for knocking her father out and borrowing his voice so many times? Would she declare all of this too dangerous and want to cut off all ties with me? Would she even believe that everything I'd said was the truth and that I hadn't mixed in a few lies? Would she tell anyone else? Would she try to put herself in danger to help me?

When she finally opened her mouth the first words she said were, "Shinichi, you're looking really pale... are you sure you don't need to go to a hospital or something?"

She looked genuinely concerned, I guess my worrying was for nothing. I started to answer her but Haibara beat me to the punch.

"We don't know if or when he'll change back into Conan, if we went to get him any kind of medical attention he could suddenly regress into a child again and not only would his secret be out the world would know that it's possible for a person to become younger," The miniaturized mad scientist snapped, "Whether he sick or not we can't take him to see a doctor, and you shouldn't give him any medicines because they might react negatively with the antidote and make things worse."

"Oh..." Ran said, still getting used to seeing that the assumed seven year old girl did in fact have a significantly higher intellect than she'd previously given her credit for, after all even I found Haibara's mature demeanor in comparison to her childish body to be strange and borderline creepy on occasion I could only imagine how Ran must be seeing it when it's piled on top of everything else we've told her today.

"So we're assuming my transformation won't be permanent?" I asked, Haibara's short rant had seemed to imply that she expected me to turn back, I wondered if that were just a hunch or if she had evidence to back it up.

"Well, this antidote had seemed more likely to be permanent while I was running tests than the previous ones..." She replied, "but I can't be sure, after all I'd thought it would take effect almost immediately but you didn't transform until hours after having taken it. For all I know it could last any span of time from just a few minutes to several years before you turn into Conan again."

Well... that's just great. I don't know if I'll ever turn back but I do know that if I do I probably won't have very much warning before I do, I won't be able to go back to my normal life because of the chance I'll suddenly turn back, but there's no point in being in my original body if I can't return to my life as well.

I let out a long sigh, this was all becoming unnecessarily complicated. I almost wished I could just go back to being Conan so I wouldn't have to worry about all this crap... _almost_.

I was suddenly startled as something that felt like ice touched my forehead, apparently while I was lost in thought Ran had decided that since Haibara didn't seem to care either way that it was her duty to make sure that my physical condition wasn't worsening. Which is probably a good thing because it seemed it was.

I was beginning to get hot again, I'd cooled down a great deal after transforming but now I was practically on fire again just as I had before... no worse than before because it now covered a greater surface area. Was I changing back already... or was this truly the result of sickness? Ran seemed to be wondering the same thing.

Ran made some kind of exclamation that I was burning up and Haibara put her hand -which proved to be about as cold as her personality- against my forehead as Ran had. I watched as her expression immediately became quite worried, she shouted something but I didn't hear.

The world around me was beginning to sound fuzzy, my vision was getting blurry too. Trying to concentrate only made it worse. The last thing I remember after that is the motion blur as I fell to the floor.

...

When I next opened my eyes I was laying on the sofa in the professor's house. I was no longer dizzy so I sat up and was disappointed to find that the top of the sofa's back was taller than I was, I had gone back to being Conan again.

Couldn't I have stayed as Shinichi just a bit longer before I turned into Conan again? I sighed, I seem to be doing that a lot lately...

I was surprised that the clothes I was wearing fit me, someone must've changed me while I was unconscious. I briefly wondered who it had been... Agasa-hakase I hoped.

I just sat there for a moment, not really sure what I should do. Eventually Haibara came along.

"Oh, so you've woken up?" Though I suppose it was more of an observation than an actual question.

"Yeah..." I responded, "How long was I out?"

"Only a few minutes," She answered, "Ran left after I told her that you had just 'overheated' and just needed some rest to get better."

"So it was the fever that'd made me faint... I guess that makes sense. At least it's gone now."

"I wouldn't be so sure," She stated and immediately I got the feeling that I didn't want to hear the rest of what she was saying, I mentally prepared myself for whatever was next, "Even though your fever has calmed down it's still there, and the new antidote is still in your system. Your entire immune system is in disarray right now because it's not sure if it should fight the fever of the antidote."

Of course it was something like that. There was no way that it could've been something simple, it never is.

"That's never been a problem before," I pointed out. In the past being sick has always helped the antidotes to be more effective, but I guess new formula new rules. I mentioned it anyway.

"That's because Apotoxin is fundamentally a part of you, in that way the previous antidotes have been kind of like a virus trying to get rid of that part so it always worked better if your immune system was already taxed and couldn't fight the antidote as much," She explained, "As for the new antidote, rather than directly attacking the poison it's supposed to react with hormones and other natural chemicals in the body to create an effect opposite that of the poison. I tried to explain it earlier but you must've not been listening."

So that's what she'd been saying before... I guess I should've payed attention.

She continued, "Anyway, it's not really important why it works, what matters is that it had been working earlier but it isn't now ever though it's still in your system. Your sickness is probably effecting it but that shouldn't be the case, there must've been some kind of chemical change within your body between the time you'd taken the antidote and the time you transformed. Do you have any idea what could have happened?"

I thought back to the moment when I'd transformed and couldn't help but blush at the thought.

I had transformed when Ran was carrying me to bed because she thought (knew) I'd caught a cold... it would take a moment for the necessary reactions to occur so what happened before that would have to be what had more or less triggered it. Could it be... when Ran's face was close to mine?

Perhaps when I was thinking about how close her face was and thinking that had it been under different circumstances that I might have kisses her then, the hormones brought out by those emotions which shouldn't have belonged to a child reacted with the antidote and I was able to temporarily return to being a teenager... it sounded a bit far-fetched, but compared to some of the things that had happened to me since becoming Conan it seemed perfectly reasonable.

I ran this past Haibara and she agreed that that was the likely cause. We even went further and came to the conclusion that I'd likely changed back into Conan because I'd been scared of what Ran might think after telling the full story.

The antidote stayed in effect for nearly two weeks after that before it wore off. During the first week I would occasionally shift forms when I got a bit carried away with my emotions (not always romantic ones) though I usually had enough time to hide so no one else wound up accidentally discovering my secret. Oddly enough there had been a few instances of my transforming into a 'form' other that 'Shinichi' or 'Conan' but I'll just leave that at that, there are somethings that are much better left forgotten. By the end of that week I'd learned to keep my emotions under control and had managed to remain as Shinichi during that time.

It was also during that time that Ran and I officially started dating, it was sad when the antidote wore off and I had to go back to being Conan while Haibara worked to improve it but Ran didn't mind pretending she believed I was really a child, rather she was glad to know that I'd been by her side the entire time...

As for whether or not an antidote was perfected or if we ever took down the Black Organization... well that's a story for another day.


	5. Messages and Regrets

**Wooo another one-shot! This isn't the one I was talking about in my last A/N but this seemed like a pretty good idea when I started writing it. It just kinda happened... it's not even possible since 'Shinichi' didn't have a cellphone for a while in canon, not to mention Ran acts really wimpy and paranoid near the end... details, details...  
**

**Also Ran turned out pretty Tsundere... so hooray for my almost depressing attempt at Romance.**

**Sorry if it starts off kinda slow, I wanted to make it seem kinda real, ya know she calls him more in the beginning but as time goes on even though she still misses him she grows to understand that he'd be there with her if he could... or maybe she realized the truth but didn't want to say~ I'll let you decide which it is, please review.  
**

* * *

**Messages and Regret: What can never return**

""_This is Kudo Shinichi, sorry I can't come to the phone right now, I'm in the middle of a very important case. Leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as I can._"

* * *

"_Shinichi, where are you? You've been gone for so long... usually you'd have solved a case by now. Is the case really that difficult? Can't you just give up on it, I'm sure the police will figure it out eventually with or without you to help them... oh on another note there's this little boy named Conan that's been living with me, he's really cute, and ever since he showed up my dad's been solving cases left and right, it's like Conan-kun's a good luck charm or something... Sorry I didn't mean to ramble. Hope to see you soon._"

...

"_Seriously Shinichi! Is that case really so important that you can't even come home and visit? I'm sure you're working really hard but you've never been gone this long before so I'm starting to miss you... er I mean if you skip to much school you won't be able to move up a grade you know so you'd better come back soon so you won't be a grade behind me! I've been carefully taking notes so you can copy them when you come back._  
_I just realized that Conan-kun looks kinda like you when you were a kid, except he has glasses... maybe he's a distant relative of yours or something. He really seems to enjoy detective stuff and mysteries, I bet he'd really love to meet you sometime._  
_Well... bye I guess._"

...

"_Shinichi! You finally came back but you left almost right away! If it was going to be like that you may as well have not even come back at all!_  
_...Also you seemed really sick. Is that why you didn't want to come back? I thought I heard you scream at one point, just how sick are you? Are you working yourself too hard? Are you eating enough? Make sure you're getting enough sleep too. I know how you tend to neglect your health when you're working on a case!_  
_Conan-kun said that you said to tell the police to hide the fact that you'd been there... but you always used to love the fans and the publicity that came from solving a case... is there some reason why you have to act like you weren't even there? I hope you're not involved in something too dangerous._  
_Please come back soon._"

...

"_You've never been away on a case this long... what kind of case is it anyway? The only thing you've ever said about it was that it's important. Well what's so important about it anyway?!_  
_I guess... there must be a reason you're not telling me, you probably just don't want me to worry, but don't you know that if you don't tell me anything I'll just imagine the worst? Promise you'll tell me what's going on next time I see you okay?_"

...

"_How long have you been gone now? Months? It feels like it's been a lot longer than that. Haven't you finished with that case yet?_  
_I really miss you._"

...

"_Sorry just forget about that last message okay?_"

...

"_Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?! I was so surprised when I saw you take that helmet off..._  
_It's funny, I'd been starting to think that you were really Conan-kun, that a case had gone wrong and you had to hide yourself so that some criminal wouldn't come after you, but I guess that can't be since Conan-kun had been there when you showed up. Wouldn't it have been silly if that were true though?_  
_You seemed a bit sick again earlier... you even fainted after you solved the case... are you sure it's okay for us to go out to eat later? I could always just go over to your house and cook something, whatever it is you want to say I'm sure it'd be fine to say it there..._  
_Call me back and let me know okay?_"

...

"_Geez, I didn't expect you to just disappear again. You just finished up with that one big case and now you're just leaving for another right away..._  
_We hardly got to spend any time together..._  
_And why didn't you just tell me about it up front instead of getting Conan-kun to do it? Did you think I was going to hit you or something? Well I will as soon as you get back, so you'd better be ready!"_

...

_"Shinichi, it's been months now... haven't you solved that case yet? When are you going to come back?"_

_..._

_"Fine! Don't answer me! See if I care!"_

_..._

_"Shinichi. Hattori came here with a letter for you. Something about you messing up on a deduction... he's going to come with us and we're going to go check it out. I figured you'd be upset if I didn't tell you about something like this, I'll text you the address, come check it out if you have time... okay?"_

_..._

_"Why'd I have to fall asleep all of a sudden like that?! Did you at least go to a hospital before getting back to that case?  
I... I really wanted to hear that 'deduction' of yours..."  
_

_..._

_"Hello?  
Ah... it's just the answering machine again. Why would I even expect you to pick up your phone.  
Anyway, it's been a while so I'm just checking in, how are you? I know you're not going to tell me anything about it but is the case going well? Hope to see you soon."_

_..._

_"Hey Shinichi,  
You'll never guess what happened today!  
Dad and I were arguing over a strawberry and then a cat came out of nowhere and ate it. Turns out that cat belonged to a rich English woman and when she found out that Dad is a detective she invited us to England for a few days! She asked us so fast that I had no idea what she was saying but somehow Conan-kun understood, apparently he speaks fluent English -who knew?-, anyway so I'm going to England in a few weeks any particular souvenirs you want me to get you?"_

_..._

_"Shinichi...  
Why didn't you tell me you were also going to be in England!? God, I feel like such an idiot now!  
Ugh... Just call me back, we need to talk."_

_..._

_"Hey, um... I haven't seen you since that time in London... what're you up too?  
Still working on that case I guess, I hope it you solve it soon. There's something I want to talk with you about."  
_

_..._

_"That thing I want to talk to you about... I'll tell you next time I see you in person, okay?"_

_.._

_"Oh, it's been a while since I got your voice-mail, you've been answering your phone more often lately.  
Just call me back when you get this message... there's a case involved."_

_..._

_"Shinichi have you finished that case you've been away on yet? You've been gone for so long... I really miss you, you know."_

_..._

"_Sorry, I missed your call... and I guess now you're missing mine._  
_You said you wanted to meet me at your house right? I'm coming over now...  
I hope I'm not too late."_

_..._

_"Shinichi you liar!  
I don't care if you don't want to tell me the real reason you've been gone for so long but don't just make up some ridiculous lie!  
I don't ever want to see you again!"_

_..._

_"I was a bit skeptical at first but all that stuff you said is true isn't it...  
You were Conan-kun... you've been secretly fighting against a black-clothed organization. You had to keep it a secret because anyone who knew would be in danger but now that you aren't Conan-kun anymore it's dangerous anyway...  
It's a lot to take in all at once but... I believe you. It all makes sense if you're telling the truth_.  
_Good luck, keep fighting!"_

...

_"Good luck __Shinichi, don't do anything too dangerous.  
You aren't allowed to die while I'm still waiting on you okay?_"

...

"_It's been a while since I last called hasn't it? I guess it doesn't really feel like it has. Somehow I knew you weren't going to pick up this time either but I just felt like calling anyway.  
Just call me back when you get the chance okay? There's something I need to tell you."_

...

"_Shinichi, I'm scared.  
There's this man, I think he's following me... he's wearing all black. I think he might be related to that case you mentioned.  
What should I do?"_

...

"_Come on, Shinichi, pick up the phone!  
I'm not kidding, this guy's been following me for a while now... I think I saw him yesterday too, and who knows how long he's been tailing me without me even realizing.  
I'm seriously getting scared here, why won't you answer, I really need to know what I should do about him! If he's involved in that case you mentioned then he'll kill me if I go to the police won't he?"_

_..._

_"Help! Shinichi!  
The guy in black... I think he know's I've noticed him...  
Oh crap he has a gun! No! Shinichi please. Help!  
**bang**  
...click."_

_Beep... beep... beep..."_

A tear threatened to fall as Shinichi put the phone down. He'd already listened to the voice mails nearly a hundred times over -if only to hear his voice again and keep his memory of her as clear as if she were still with him- he still got emotional every time.

Why did it have to end that way? Why did he have to be so stupid? He wondered, thinking that if only he'd done something different things could have ended more happily. Maybe if he'd told her his secret instead of guarding it so closely, or maybe if he'd payed more attention to how deeply involved she'd been since the beginning...

Who was he kidding, even if a chance had ever presented itself the words he'd left unsaid would have remained that way if only out of fear of the very change he now desired. Even if she'd hated him after learning his secret she might have at least been able to say alive... not that it mattered, it was impossible to change the past after all. The current result of his actions wasn't going to change.

He was just going to have to make sure the Black Organization would pay greatly for what they'd done. It was the only purpose that he had left in life.


End file.
